December 12, 2008

Dropped wallet leads to robbery suspect

A man suspected of a robbery and carjacking spree in Anchorage, Alaska, was arrested after police found his wallet near a stolen vehicle.

Benjamin Wallace Rucker, 34, was charged with robbery, assault and vehicle theft Thursday morning, the Anchorage Daily News reported. He was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Investigators say that Rucker was also not a very good driver. He allegedly fled on foot after hijacking a Ford Explorer early Wednesday, the vehicle stalling because he could not handle the manual transmission.

Police following footsteps in the snow discovered a wallet with Rucker's ID inside.

We would have caught him one way or the other, but it just made it so easy, Lt. Dave Parker said.

His crime spree allegedly began Tuesday night when a cab driver was robbed and slashed by a man armed with a box cutter. Early Wednesday, a man lost his car and dog to a robber, although a Good Samaritan found the Akita a few hours later.

Rucker also allegedly robbed a gas station and then, when the car he was using got stuck in the snow, forced a driver out of his Explorer.